Sewing machine



Oct. 31,y 1944. F. A. KUCERA 2,361,776

SEWING MAcHlNE Filed Sept, 15,. 1942 4' 30 INVENTOR.

FRAN/r A. ffl/CERA ATT RNEY.

Patented Oct. 31, 1944 UNI-TED' .STATES parnur fop-'FME SEWIN G7 MACHINfE'iV FrankA. Kucera, Chicago; Ill., assignor to .Union Special Machine poration ofIllinois l Company," Chicago, Ill., a cort,

Application SeptemberilS, 1942,'Serial'Nol` 458,353 'i l:

20 Clairns.,"(Cl. 112.-20)

'This' inventionE relatesrtolanimproved sewing machine construction 'and-more particularly 'to' the constructionYa-nd mounting-of devices used for invention-'will appearlfrom'the detailed descrip= tion ofan". illustrativeform of-the samef'which guiding and uncurlingit'he edges of work as it is delivered to the '-feeding and f stitch-forming means.`

Cup-feed machines ofthe type commonlyemployed` in the formation of the long,--back seams"y in full-fashioned hosiery are ordinarily provided with`-`uncur1er blades which are pivotally'mounted on the framey and have Work'cl'amping portionsadapted i'to'lbe swung,-` at willpeither into forout of the {path-of feed of the feed-cups.' 'This uncurling'meansf-which may be swung as a unit, iny the manner indicated, is `usually'p'rovided with a thin'central plate and a pair of@ pivoted blades havingportions'adaptedto be urged yieldingly against-the opposite sides'of-the plate to clampA the lworka'gainst the latter. -It isimportant in this type of construction, particularly when eX` tremelyy ne materials are to'be handled, to'provide absolutelparallelism-betweenthe contacting facesf Due to the :manner of' manufacture of stood; however, that the invention may'beappliedl thesev devices, as heretofore 'f constructed', con-c siderable precision has beenrequired'inthe for-"- mationbf the various partsand ail-great `deal of' f time and care has been required intheirassem'blyr- The'assemblers haveresorted to careful-bending i of the blades in orderto achieve the final accueracydesiredi This has necessitated leaving the workL'engaging portions ofthe blades relatively f soft so that yitheir'life has been comparatively short; especially when handling nylon' fabric,

which isquiteabrasive.

A primaryobject ofthe present invention has' been Vto devise an improved form of uncurler,` adapted 'for use in the manner indicated, which is simple and. inexpensive to make land easyv to assemlble and apply; Toward these ends 'the improved `construction veliminatesy the necessity of accuracy or` precision in the production of the various parts andthe careful. bendinglof the blades by skilled workmen. In lieu thereof. provision is-made for .the ready, relative *adjust-y ment ofthe work-engaging portions rofthe device in two dimensions.'A Thus, any lack of parellelisrnbetween the contactingv surfacesimay be quickly corrected. An* important-advantage ofA the improved constructionis that the fabric'- engagingA faces of the device'maybe hardened;

FigIV is abottomviewf'of the uncurlersasini: dicated by the line IV-LIV fFig.l-II i For 'purposes ofi illustration, Ythe :invention has I been'sho'wn applied 'to 'aicup-feed sewing machine l i f of the' typedisclosed Vin the Rubel etaLfP-atent'NQ. 2,043,711, granted-June`i9,='1936,'fandstoian unrf'.A cu-rler vhaving a mountingvoffthe general typedisclosed in the patenti-,o lHaclrlandenNd 2;l31,007,f: a" grantedSeptember 1.20, 1938.**1'It will be; under# to uncurlers havingothertypes of :mountingsandi 1 .i used-inconnectionlwithtofther types=of .machines-.iv`

Referring now= to the drawingpthe Inachineis, providedtwith a; trame lill: having anf overhanging portion' from V which` depends-faA painof nshaftsy 1l If and-SI2 adapted tobe drivenl interniittently-,` dur-121.1,LH ing operationofithe machindabyconnectionsfromw the 1main operatingZ shaitpas well knownrinithe iwf art.`I At the l'ower ends'foftheselshaftsafpairxofr c: cooperating l'feed wheels I3 andzfM is provided,4 thesebeingfadapted togrip the workrandfadvance: itistep ibyfstep in the formation: of .a seam: The stitching is--performed by a reciprocatorylneedle, secured-t0 a reciprocating needle bar lf5, and by il a pair of Lloopers mountedz-for operation` ,in'bearA` ing sleeves `l6-ai-`1del`-`ll "For further'detailsfasfto 1 the lconstructionand1operation= of' these-devices; l referencemay be fhadito the Rubel let al; patenti* above-mentioned. I: '1

For the purposevof guidingi'the"workand'um- 1A- curling-the edgeslofth'e lfabric,as theyare fed s into -the -bight -of` the feed-Loups f i3A andl'df, the if improved devicenow-to be described isfprovided. Thisf'device; Whiclr'isindicated generally-1by#J the c reference characteri-B'in'FigAIfissecuredbyw# -Y since this' does not "interfere with the `relative greatlyprolongs the useful'lif of the device:y i

Other `objects,-features; and-iadvantages;-of'` th 22 to a portion of the ioverhangingfarmaothe frame HL As disclosec'rinsaidei-Iaclclanderpat-w1 ent,` provision#'may'A be made Ai'nrtliis -inounting "for retaining the uncurlerl in a number `of: diierent r `i positions, i. e., in its active, substantially vertical position, with its lower end between the feedcups I3 and I4 and its rearward edge closely adjacent to the bight of the latter, or in a partly retracted, loading position, or in a fully retracted, inactive position in which it is substantially horizontal. Suitable detents are provided for retaining the uncurler in any of these positions and a release member 23 is provided for releasing the detents, under certain conditions, to permit the uncurler to be swung from one position to another. All of this is described in detail in said Hacklander patent, to which reference may be had for a fuller disclosure.

The uncurler comprises ,three primary elements including a, main support member 24, which is mounted for pivotal movement, in the manner indicated, about the axis of the sha/ft and carries at its lower end a xedly secured, thin plate 25 as a downward extension thereof. The other principal elements of the uncurler are blades 26 and 21, which are mounted for pivotal movement on the main support 24 about axes parallel with the plane of the plate 25. These blades are urged by a spring 28 outwardly above their pivots and inwardly below their pivots to carry portions 29 and 30, respectively, yieldingly against the opposite faces of the plate 25. The work to be fed to the cups I3 and I4, and whose edges are to be uncurled, is adapted to be held between the lorwer ends 29 and `3l] 4of the blades' and the cooperating surfaces of the plate 25. It is in the mounting of the blades for pivotal movement, in the manner indicated, and for correct fiat surface. engagement with the'sides of the plate 25, that considerable accuracy has been required heretofore in the construction of the parts and great careV has been required to bend them properly in the course of assembly.

To eliminate the necessity of precision in the manufacture of the parts and of expert care in the yassembly and bending of the parts, to cause them to function properly, the following provisions are made, in accordance with the present invention: The main support 24 toward its lower end, in the region ,of the pivots for the blades 26 and 21, is formed with a rearwardly extending lug which is divided into three parts, i. e., a main central part 3| and two side parts 32 and 33. These parts are all integrally connected with the main support 24 but are separated from each other by slots 34 which provide relatively flexible neck portions 35 and 36 at the ends of the slots. The parts 32 and 33 have lateral wings orextensions 32a and 33a, respectively. Each of the parts 32 and 33 is threaded to receive a small, hollow screw or threaded sleeve31, the inner end of which is adapted to engage the side of the part 3|. The outer ends of the screws 31 are slotted toreceive a screw-driver so that they may be turned and adjusted as desired. Large headed screws 38 have their shanks extending through the centers of the hollow screws 31 and threaded into a hole 39 extending through the part 3|. This construction is such that the part 32, for example, may be forced closer to or further away from the part 3|, causing the lateral wing 32a to flex one way or the other about theneck 35. To force the part 32 further away from the part 3|, the screw 38 is removed and the hollow screw 31 is turned further into the threaded opening in the part 32. On the other hand, if it is desired to bring the part 32 closer to the part 3|, the screw 31 may be backed out slightly and the screw 38 may then be inserted and tightened to cause flexing of the neck 35 in the desired direction. In the same way, the part 33 may be independently adjusted in relation to the part 3| to cause the wing 33a to flex in one direction or the other about the neck 36.

The blades 26 and 21 are not mounted directly upon pivots secured to the main support 24 or its extensions but are pivotally mounted upon small bushings 46 which have a substantial clearance with respect to the Shanks of screw-threaded studsy 4|, having threaded engagement with the wings 32a and 33a of the support member 24. Bushings 40 have a snug bearing fit within sleevelike extensions 42 of the blades and are slightly longer than the sleeve-like extensions of the blades. This construction permits a substantial, relative, bodily shifting of each of the bushings 40, together with its associated blade, in relation to the studs 4| and the setting of the parts in adjusted position. By loosening the screw-studs slightly, the bushings may be shifted toany position permitted by the clearance between the latter and the Shanks of the studs and, when the proper` position has been determined, in the manner to be explained, the heads of the screwstuds may :be tightened against the ends of the bushings to hold the parts in proper position.

In the assembly of the uncurler blades 26 and 21 upon the main support 24, the screw-studs 4| are left sufficiently loose to permit relative bodily adjustment of the bushings 40. The lower ends of the blades are permitted to fall against the opposite faces of the plate 25 while the bushings 40 are adjusted in relation to the studs 4| until the lower portion of each blade is in correct vertical alignment with respect to the cooperating surface of the plate. Studs 4| are then tightened until their heads firmly clamp the bushings 40 against the wings 32a and 33a. The vertical alignment of each blade may thus be independently established very quickly. In Figs. Il and III an exaggerated clearance is indicated between the heads of the screw-studs 4| and the hub-like extensions of the blades. This clearance is sufcient only to permit clamping of the bushings 46 without interfering 'with the free pivotal action of the blades.

There still remains the problem of bringing the cooperating surfaces of the blades and plate 25 into 'proper horizontal alignment. This is readily accomplished by the flexing of the wing extensions 32a and 33a about the necks 35 and 36, respectively, in the manner hereinabove explained. Thus, full surface engagement of the cooperating faces may be brought about very quickly without bending the blades. This enables the hardening of the fabric-engaging portions of the blades as well as the plate 25 so that these will resist, more effectively, the abrasive action of the fabric. This is of particular importance in dealing with nylon fabrics, which have been found to have a more serious abrasive action than silk and rayon fabirics. The life of the uncurler may thus be greatly increased. Thatpart of the main support which is not subject to the continuous rubbing action of the fabrics need not be hardened and may be of a character readily capable of flexing in the manner required. t

The upward extensions 43 of the blades 26 and 21 are inclined outwardly away' from the support 24, as shown in Fig. I, and provide finger grips by which the blades may be rocked about their pivots to enable the ready 1introduction and removal of the work. Screw-threaded guide pins 44, having a slight taper at their o uter ends, are

'carriedbyithe o'ppositevfaces-ofthe platei2f5fand fl cooperatewith holes-45 through the uncurler blades."L These' pins serve to determine the height V of the fabric passing through the uncurler-tofthe feed'cups.- The tensiono'f the spring`28;I which passes through a hole in the support-24 and acts upon the bladesiand 21 'tourge their `lower lends members havingA portions'- in-tendedl'to-'be ini-flat i b surface engagement, the pivotal connectionbef tween Saidmembers beingtadjust'able-'at will to'-v f insure-full contact between said portions in one f yieldingly against the plate Y25,v may `be` varied" y by an adjusting screw 48 carried by the blade 2l. A collarY or flangerat the inner'end of this screw, cooperating with-the end of-the 'spring 28;

o members having portions intendedI to "be in flat may bev-adjusted, `as desired,f^tovary'the tension of the springf 'A i While an illustrative' embodimentiof the invention has been described'in considerable detail,

it will be understood that numerouschangesmay be made inthe construction and arrangement of on one of said membersfior insuring full contact the various.partswithout'departing from: the

general principles and scope of the invention. The 'terms and expressions `employed herein have been used as terms of description and not of" limitation.

What I claim is:

l. Work guiding means for a sewing machine rigidlyf connected therewith a plate-like guide element, and a presser blade pivotally mounted on said `member and having a surface urged yieldinglyagainst a surface ,on said element, the pivot for said blade comprising a bearing sleeve and a` supporting stud therefor carried by said mem- Y which comprises'fa pair ofA pivotally connected;

- dimension,v and adjustablefmeans (in-one of said members for insuring-full contactfbetween said portions'in-a directionat rig-ht angles to said one dimension.

f Work-guiding meansiforaf -sewingmachine which comprises ai pair of pivotally` connected surface engagement, the pivotal connection between'said members being: adjustable at will to insure full contact between said portions infone dimensiomand screw-threaded means adjustable vbetween' said portions in a direction at righil anf e gles to said one dimension.

'7. Workgu'iding lmeansfor a sewing machine which comprises' av pair oi pivotally connectedv members having portions intended tof be in ilat surfaceengagement, and means for yadjusting the pivotal connection ybetween said members to shift the axis thereof both translationally and angularly in relationto `said portion 'of one of said members.

8. Work guiding-means for a sewing machine members having portions intended' to be -inlrflat surface engagement; means for bodily adjustingthe pivotal axis of said memberswith respect to one oisaid members and retaining the same-in adjusted position,` and means for adjusting the f ber and having a substantial clearance within l said sleeve to enable relative, lateral. adjustment of said sleeve and stud, said stud being screwthreaded and adapted to clamp said sleeve in adjusted position.

3. Work guiding means for a sewing machine which comprises a main support member having rigidly connected therewith a plate-like guide element, aV presser blade pivotally mounted onv said member and having a surface urged yieldingly'against a surface on said element, the pivot for said blade comprising a bearing sleeve and a supporting stud therefor carried by said member and having a substantial clearance within said sleeve to enable relative, lateral adjustment of said sleeve and stud, and means for varying the angular relation between said stud and said guide element,

4. Work guiding means for a sewing machine which comprises a main support member having rigidly connected therewith a plate-like guide element, a presser blade pivotally mounted on said member and having a surface urged yieldingly against a surface on said element, the pivot for said blade comprising a bearing sleeve and a supporting Stud therefor carried by said member and having a 'substantial clearance within said sleeve to enable relative, lateral adjustment of said sleeve and stud, and screw-threaded means for varying the angular relation between said stud and said guide element.

5. Work guiding means for a sewing machine which comprises a pair of pivotally connected angular position of said pivotal axis 'ini relation to-said` portion of said one ofv said members.

9. Work guiding-means for a sewing machine' f l, whichv comprises afpaii` fof' members'liaving lwork engaging portions intended to be inflat suriacef contact, and means comprising a stu'd and a sleeve surrounding said stud with substantial clear-- ance therebetween vfor pivotally' connecting said members,4 lsaid Istud jhaving i means associated therewith for retaining `said sleeve in any adjusted position in relation `to said stud permitted by said clearance,l

10..Work guiding meansfor a sewing machine which'comprises a'ipair of members having work i engaging portions intended'to be in iiat, surface Y contact, means comprising- 'a' stud and a sleeve surrounding said stud with'fsubstantial clearance therebetween for pivotally connecting said members, said stud having means associatedlthere with for retaining said sleeve inany adjusted positioninrelation to said stud permitted by said clearance,` and means for'adjusting the angular relation between said stud and one of said work engaging portions.

11. Work guiding means for a sewing machine which comprises a main support having integral extensions adapted to be readily flexed in relation to the main body thereof, screw-threaded means adjustable to flex said extensions, and a plurality of members each pivotally connected with one of said extensions and having a portion in flat surface engagement with a portion of said main support.

12. Work guiding means for a sewing machine which comprises a main support having integral extensions adapted to be readily flexed in relation to the main body thereof, screw-threaded means adjustable to flex said extensions, a plurality of members each pivotally connected with otal connection of each of said members with the related extension.

13. Work guiding means for a sewing machine which comprises a main support having an integral extension adapted to be readily flexed in relation to the main bodyof the support, means carried by said extension providing a pivot, a member mounted on said pivot, said member having a portion intended for flat surface engagement with a portion of said support, and ad- .instable screW-threaded means for flexing said extension in .relation to the main body of the support to improve the surface contact of said portions.

14. Work guiding means for a sewing machine which comprises a main support having an integral extension adapted to be readily exed in relation to the main body of the support, means carried by said extension providing a pivot, said means being adjustable on said extension to alter the position of the axis of said pivot, a member mounted on said pivot, said member having a portion intended for flat surface engagement with a portion of said support, and adjustable screwthreaded means for flexing said extension in relation to the main body of the supp-ort to improve the surface Contact of said portions.

15. Work guiding means for a sewing machine which comprises a main support having an integral extension adapted to be readily flexed in relation to the main body of the support, means carried by said extension providing a pivot, a member mounted on said pivot, said member having a portion intended for at surface engagement with a portion of said support, and means including a pair of adjusting screws acting in opposition to flex said extension in relation to the main body of the support to improve the surface contact of said portions.

16. Work guiding means for a sewing machine which comprises a main support having an integral extension adapted to be readily flexed in relation to the main body of the support, means carried by said extension providing a pivot, a member mounted on said pivot, said member having a portion intended for flat surface engagement with a portion of said support, and means including a hollow screw and a screw extendingl through the opening thereof adjustable to flex said extension in relation to the main body of the support to improve the surface contact of said portions,

17. In a sewing machine having a frame, a

Pplurality of rotatable feed-cups, work guiding means 'carried by said frame adapted to engage the Work in advance of said feed-cups, and stitch forming devices arranged to cooperate with said work adjacent the bight of said feed-cups, said work guiding means comprising a pair of pivotally connected members having work engaging portions intended to be in flat surface engagement, and means for adjusting the pivotal connection between said members to shift the axis thereof both bodily and angularly in relation to said portion of one of said members to bring said portions into flat surface contact.

18. In a sewing machine having a frame, a plurality of rotatable feed-cups, work guiding means carried by said frame adapted to engage the work in advance of said feed-cups, and stitch forming devices arranged to cooperate with said Work adjacent the bight of said feed-cups, said work guiding means comprising a pair of members having work engaging portions intended to be in flat surface engagement, pivot means on one of said members for pivotally carrying the other, and means for adjusting the axis of s'aid pivot means both bodily and angularly in relation to the work engaging portion of said one of said members.

19. In a sewing machine having a frame, a plurality of rotatable feed-cups, work guiding means carried by said frame adapted to engage the work in advance of said feed-cups and stitch 'forming devices arranged to cooperate with said Work adjacent the bight of said feed-cups, said `work vguiding means comprising a pair of members having work engaging portions intended to be in at surface engagement, pivot means on one ofA said members for pivotally carrying the other, and adjustable screw-threaded means for enabling the shifting 0i the axis of said pivot means both bodily and angularly in relation to the work engaging portion of said one of said members and for setting Said axis in adjusted position.

20. In a sewing machine having a frame, a plurality of rotatable feed-cups, Work guiding means carried by said frame adapted to engage the Work in advance of said feed-cups, and stitch forming devices arranged to cooperate with said work adjacent the bight of said feed-cups, said work guiding means comprising a support pivotally mounted on said frame, a, plurality of members having portions spring-urged into full surface contact with surfaces on said support, pivot means on said support on which said members are mounted, and settable means for varying the position of the axes of said pivot means in relation to said support both bodily and angularly.

FRANK A. KUCERA. 

